Seat assemblies for use in motor vehicles are generally well-known in the art. In many motor vehicles, particularly in sedans having rear seating, upright seat backs used in the second row or rear seats are used to separate the passenger compartment from the rear trunk, which is otherwise accessible via a trunk lid or deck. This arrangement tends to minimize noise in the passenger compartment, as well as allowing the separate storage and transportation of luggage and other items in the trunk. Given the fact that items stowed in the trunk tend to move about within the trunk unless otherwise restrained, the upright rear seat backs tend to be rather robustly designed in order to tolerate the impact of a heavy item in the trunk against the upright rear seat backs, for example, caused by the sudden application of the motor vehicle braking system during a so-called “panic stop” or in the event of a frontal impact. Such robust structures, however, add weight and cost the motor vehicle.
Further, in more recent years, it has become common to configure the rear seat backs to fold or rotate forward about a pivot in order to create an opening between the passenger compartment and the trunk, which is especially useful when needed to transport long items that would not otherwise fit in the trunk, such as skis, lumber, and gardening tools. When in the upright position, such foldable rear seats function in the normal manner and create a standard rear seat back for vehicle occupants, often having a frontal upholstered portion that matches the vehicle seating upholstery. Typically, the rear seat backs are latched into the upright position. When the latch is released, and the seat back is moved by the vehicle operator to the folded position, the rear seat back essentially forms a continued floor for the trunk extending forward into the vehicle. The rear portion of the seat back is typically covered with a carpet to match that of the trunk so as to form an extended cargo or luggage area that allows for pass-through accessibility for long items over the rear seat backs and into the occupant compartment.
However, such systems experience certain drawbacks. For example, in such arrangements, given the constraints imposed by vehicle packaging and layout considerations, it is often difficult to provide a convenient latch release mechanism for the foldable rear seat backs that may be readily operable by the vehicle operator. Moreover, in such foldable rear seat back systems, the robust structures that are needed to protect the occupant compartment from items in the trunk with the rear seat back in the upright position tend to add mass and bulk to the rear seat back assemblies, rendering the rear seat backs difficult to operate and move between the upright and folded positions.
Further, trunk space is an important consideration in vehicle design. Limited trunk space hinders the usability of the trunk. Additionally, the storage and transportation of delicate items, such as laptop computers, is often problematic, and prevents access to the functional capabilities of such laptop computers while the vehicle is in use. An area designated for the safe storage area for tablets and laptops that locks them securely in place is lacking. Finally, vehicle operators often store loose items in the trunk that have a tendency to move around throughout the trunk, creating noise and potentially damaging the trunk.
Hence, a luggage retention system which overcomes these drawbacks would be advantageous.